Museveni pledges Gulu city status
Days after promising Arua City, President Museveni at the weekend said with effect from next year, Gulu Municipality will also be granted a city status to boost development in the once war-torn district.
“Gulu is going to become a city after elections and the government has already agreed to that,” Mr Museveni told his supporters at Kaunda Grounds in Gulu.
“The status of Gulu as a city was agreed upon but Parliament did not put have time to approve it because they were busy with the primaries. They passed municipalities and new constituencies but did not get time to handle cities,” he added.
The President said after pacifying the Acholi sub-region that was devastated by the LRA rebellion and revamping the roads, hospitals and schools, his next target is to alleviate poverty and unemployment through commercial agriculture and industrialisation. “Northern Uganda is going to be the centre for Uganda because of NRM and the gifts God gave the region,” Mr Museveni said, in reference to the Karuma Falls, Ayago Falls and Murchison Falls where hydropower dams are going to be constructed.
He requested the Acholi to give him land for factories and promised to build industrial parks in Nwoya, Oyam and Apac districts to create jobs for the youth.
When contacted, Gulu District chairperson Martin Ojara Mapenduzi lauded Mr Museveni’s pronouncement but added that the President tactically made the move to woo voters.
“This should have been done much earlier because we had submitted all relevant approvals by the municipal councillors and the district, requesting the government to grant the district a city status,” Mr Mapenduzi said.
